Bayhawks Select McClay in 1st Round

As the Chesapeake Bayhawks enter the 2011 season defending their championship title, the team selected Defenseman Ryan McClay (Cornell ’03) as their 1st pick and 6th overall in the 2011 Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Supplemental Draft. The Bayhawks acquired a total of 12 players during the draft which was conducted by the MLL general managers and coaches via conference call.

McClay was drafted in 2003 by the New Jersey Pride with the 5th overall pick. He played six seasons for the Pride before joining the Boston Cannons in 2009. A three-time MLL All-Star (2005, 2006, and 2010) and the Week 4 Rookie of the Week in 2003, McClay has earned Defensive Player of the Week honors four times over his career including Week 11 last season. He is currently ranked 4th overall in MLL history for ground balls with 371. McClay also played for Team USA in the lacrosse World Games this past summer and helped anchor the defense and lead Team USA to the championship.

The Bayhawks brought back Defenseman Shawn Nadelen in the 6th round of the draft. Nadelen (Johns Hopkins ’01) is the only player from the MLL’s inaugural season on the Bayhawks roster. As the longest tenured Bayhawk, Nadelen holds the franchise record for games played (94) and is a two-time All-Star and 2010 Team USA champion alongside McClay.

“We are very happy with the picks today,” said Bayhawks Owner and Head Coach Brendan Kelly. “Picking up two defensemen from the World Team has added even more depth on the defensive end to an already deep team. We are looking forward to training camp in the spring to see the talent that these guys will bring to our championship team.”

The Bayhawks drafted two more veterans in the 2nd and 7th rounds. Midfielder Brett Manney (Delaware ’08) was the 12th overall pick and played for the Bayhawks in 2008. Goalie Joey Kemp (Notre Dame ’08) played for the Los Angeles Riptide in 2008 and the Bayhawks in 2009. Kemp was selected with the 42nd overall pick.

In addition to Manney and Kemp, the Bayhawks brought in Jake Deane (Massachusetts ’06) in the 5th round of the draft as the 30th overall pick. Deane has been a stand out player in the MLL since his first season with the Long Island Lizards in 2006. In 2007 he moved to the Chicago Machine where he played until 2010 when he was picked up by the Toronto Nationals.

To further enhance the roster, the Bayhawks added Midfielder Mark Kovler (Princeton ’09) with the 18th overall pick in the 3rd round and Defenseman Stephen Bauer (Georgetown ’09) as the 24th pick overall in the 4th round. Both Kovler and Bauer have seen MLL action. Kovler spent a year with the Long Island Lizards in 2009 and was picked up by Chicago in 2010. Bauer played both the 2009 and 2010 seasons with the Machine.

In Rounds 9 through 12, the Bayhawks acquired Attackman Brendan Cannon (Georgetown ’08) with the 54th pick, Defenseman Chris O’Dougherty (Rutgers ’09) with the 60th pick, Midfielder Joe Murray (Denver ’09) with the 66th pick, and Attackman Joel Dalgarno (Ohio State ’09) with the 72nd and final pick. All four players have MLL experience. Cannon played with Chicago, O’Dougherty and Murray both played with Denver, and Dalgerno played with Long Island.

“We are very pleased with the results of the Supplemental Draft,” said General Manager Spencer Ford. “Our goal was to strengthen our roster at each position with talented lacrosse players who have played in our league before, but more importantly, who have great character and are team players. Training camp will be very exciting and competitive.”

The Bayhawks remaining pick was used to draft a rookie that will be sure to challenge the veteran players for a roster position in the spring. Midfielder Nick Tintle (UNC ’08), the 48th pick overall was selected in the 8th round.